


Parade

by tcourtois



Category: Football RPF
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-01-19
Updated: 2015-01-19
Packaged: 2018-03-08 06:58:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 923
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3199766
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tcourtois/pseuds/tcourtois





	Parade

I got ice cream for the kids from one of the kiosks over by the skating rink, they were both excited to be at their very first Christmas parade. My two daughters were my absolute life, and I would do anything for them.

Since their mother left me we had to share them, I got them during the week most weeks, as I played at the weekend. This year was my year to have them for the holidays. I had been so excited that I had spent a whole two days decorating their rooms with fairy lights and miniature Christmas trees. My teammates thought that I was mad, but Christmas with my girls was very special to me.

My eldest Cassandra was seven years old now, a very interesting little personality. She knew more than I did, and always excelled at school. She was learning a third language currently, and followed me around slinging Spanish phrases at me. Whilst cooking dinner she would tell me what the ingredients were in Spanish. She told me ‘when I go to Real Madrid, she could teach me’. I didn’t tell her that I would probably never leave Dortmund.

My younger daughter Lisa was 3 years old, and a lot quieter than her sister, but thoughtful. I would have loved to have seen the world through her eyes even if just for one day. She fascinated me. She was quiet, yes, but when she did speak she amazed me. She asked meaningful questions. I was almost afraid to turn the news channel on around her in case she started debating world politics with me. She studied the world around her in her own silent way. I was sure that she would grow up to be a prize winning author, and maybe Cassie would be a scientist or a doctor. I had high hopes for them both.

“Daddy did you get the fudge?” Cassie asked, her hand on her hip. She looked so much like her mother in that moment, her tone even sounding the same.

“One fudge.” I said, handing her the ice cream cone.

I then handed Lisa her cone. Lisa loved chocolate honeycomb, there weren’t many places that did it, but they did here.

Her eyes lit up as soon as I handed it to her. She took my hand with her free one, and I grabbed Cassie’s with my other, leading them both over to the group that we had wandered away from.

The other kids eyed the ice creams. Their parents had probably been more sensible than me and said no to ice cream in the middle of an arctic winter. I gave in to most things that either of them asked of me.

Last night we had a pyjama party, and a tea party, all in one night. It was wild. All of the stuffed animals were invited, even the rude rhino (Lisa said we had to forgive him, because he’d lost his chocolate milk).

As the parade started Lisa asked to be picked up, so I picked her up and let her sit on my shoulders. Cassie, being a bit older had made her way to the front of our little crowd to the barricade, and stood beside Nuri’s son. I smiled at them both, the grins on their faces as the characters came out were priceless. This was the best part of the parade, seeing all of the kids so happy to see their favourite people in the world.

“Daddy, Mummy said something funny” Lisa said to me. She was really close to my ear as she was talking which amplified her little voice just enough over the music for me to be able to hear her.

“What was that sweetheart?” I asked her, turning my head to be able to look at her slightly. She covered my eyes with her small hands.

“She said, joking with her man friend, that Daddy is going to go to Bayern. Daddy what’s Bayern?” She asked. She couldn’t actually pronounce ‘Bayern’ properly, as she was getting through a new milk tooth in an awkward place and she wasn’t used to her tongue against it when making sounds.

“Ah, you know Dortmund? I will explain this like the Lion King. Simba, Bayern is over there.” I pointed off in a random direction, as I still couldn’t see. I could hear someone chucking beside me. I guessed that it was Nuri from the tone. “Bayern is a very bad place Simba you must never go there.”

“Ok, I don’t like it.” She took her hands off of my eyes and shrugged. “I won’t go to Bayern.”

I looked at her, holding my hand up for a high five. “I won’t either, and that’s a promise.”

~

“Daddy the princess float…and the flowers. Santa in his work shop with the elves, daddy did you see? Did you see them?” I let Cassie and Lisa both babble to me as we walked back to the car, it had been a really long evening for them but one that I really hope that they enjoyed. If there was one thing I wanted from this Christmas it was for them to enjoy spending the time with me more than spending time with their mother, so that they would go home to her in January and tell her what a great time they had with their father.

The only thing she never criticised me on, was my parenting. It was really all I had left, so that was a blessing.


End file.
